When are Vert. Band Saw Tires worn out?

How do you know when the rubber tires on a vertical band saw are worn out?

The blade on my old Grob NS18 saw will stop occasionally if I put too much pressure on the cut. The last time it happened, I discovered that the blade was slipping on the lower drive wheel. There seemed to be quite a bit of tension on the blade, but I cranked in even more and the problem went away. However, I recall a machine salesman who stopped in one day; he took one look at my saw and said the tires should be replaced. The tires aren't ripped, torn, or missing but they do have wear tracks in them and they are probably 40 or 50 years old.

I tuned up my late 40's Walker-Turner 14" dual range a while back, and researched tires a good bit. I ended up getting urethane ones from an eBay seller for about 3/4 what Rockler sells them for. They need to be crowned after installation. I used an angle grinder with an 80 grit flap wheel held at an angle to the tire so the "slip angle" can be modulated to vary the amount of cut. This also served to drive the upper wheel so the cut was consistent. The lower wheel was done with it driven at a medium speed.

It took a surprisingly long time to work material off, but there was little risk of digging in and damaging the tires. Then again, skateboard wheels are urethane and they wear exceptionally well.

The tires in conjunction with a set of swanky Carter ball bearing guides, a new vee belt, and some fresh blades has the old girl happily chewing through everything from balsa to 304, straight and smooth.

In a pinch people have used tape, inner tube cross section etc. on bandsaws. Buying the proper tire is much easier but maybe try a wrap or two of tape as a stop gap to increase friction. Obviously, at high RPM's this won't work so well. After 40 to 50 years its surprising your tires didn't fall off. Dave

If you replace, buy the urethane

I second Dave's recommendation for Sulphur Grove Tool's bandsaw tires. Here is a link to their eBay prices, which is where I bought a replacement set of urethane tires:http://stores.ebay.com/SULPHUR-GROVE-TOOL
They sell a pair of 18-inch tires for $34.95 plus $3.95 shipping.

Earlier this year, I bought a 20-inch Delta Crescent woodcutting bandsaw which needed tires to be installed. The guy I bought it from had a pair of black rubber tires which he had not yet bothered to install. I glued those onto the machine and they worked OK for a while. But I guess I didn't do a great job, or used the wrong glue, because one tire eventually started coming loose.

I then replaced the rubber tires with a pair of urethane tires. The urethane tires don't even need to be glued, and they run much more smoothly. The people at Sulphur Grove Tool sent them to me quickly, and they work great. I don't think that black tires have any advantage at all over urethane.

I have neither witnessed nor heard of bandsaw blades slipping under cutting pressure, so I can't say whether the oldness of your rubber tires is causing the problem.

The previous owner of my E-Bay bargain 14" throat Birch brand bandsaw fitted three 6 inch (ish) diameter treaded handtruck wheels instead of the proper items. Machine Mart or Northern Tools type stuff. Brief tests suggest that these actually work quite well but el bodgers idea of roller blade guides are distinctly optimistic in design and execution functionality so I've not been able to test it properly. I've got sorting the blade guides in hand so I'm wondering what to do about the wheels.

If they still seem to work OK would I get reasonable life if I use them as is bearing in mind that the saw is unlikely to see more than 50 hours use a year? Should I consider filling the treads with something or is it best to go the whole hog and make new wheels? If I make them what's the most sensible approach, I've heard that wood does quite well for moderate duty applications?

The saw was originally made/supplied (?) by Hab Engineering Birmingham UK who appear to have disappeared so there seems to be no chance of getting spares unless something from another make can be made to fit. Its worth some work as its of very solid all steel construction and only cost a£5 in the first place.

Huntinguy, I can relate.

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the tips. I will order a set of urethane tires.

Huntinguy, a few years ago, I decided I would no longer buy machines which were born before I was. That rule of thumb isn't working for me any more, because 43 years is a long time to wear out a machine. From now on, my new rule of thumb is; I'm not going to buy any machines that are older than a chinese gymnast.

Huntinguy, a few years ago, I decided I would no longer buy machines which were born before I was. That rule of thumb isn't working for me any more, because 43 years is a long time to wear out a machine. From now on, my new rule of thumb is; I'm not going to buy any machines that are older than a chinese gymnast.

Thanks,

John

I am the exact opposite. I look for machines that are older than me. Most of my machines were build in the the 1940's and to me are better than anything produced in the past 20 years. I have some exceptions like the 1990 planer and the 1976 lathe and ...

Age discrimination

Originally Posted by Pierce Butler

I am the exact opposite. I look for machines that are older than me. Most of my machines were build in the the 1940's and to me are better than anything produced in the past 20 years. I have some exceptions like the 1990 planer and the 1976 lathe and ...

When I first got into setting up my home shop, about 6 years ago, I was very proud of my South Bend Heavy 10 lathe, vintage 1943. I felt connected to a history of craftsmanship, engineering, and workmanship.

Now my shop has a variety of stuff, some older, some newer, and some about the same age as me. I think the 20-inch Delta Crescent bandsaw is about as old as I am, but I am not sure.

I guess a collection of machines in a shop can be sort of like a healthy and balanced society, with older and younger members working together in peace and harmony... :-)

Pierce, it sounds as though your shop has a program of "affirmative action" that gives preference for disadvantaged older machines. John, on the other hand, could be accused of unfairly discriminating against the elderly.

The newest stationary machine I have is a 2005 imported 12x36 lathe. The other machines date to 1990, 1976, 1975, 1972, 1968, 1946, 1945, 1944, and 1944. I like my 1940's era machines best. That was when some consideration was given to form and function.

No discrimination intended

My first lathe was a 10" South Bend. I had the ways ground, etc., etc. That was during the hobby phase of my shop. I could afford the time to rebuild it.

Then, when I started my own shop as a business, things were slow and I still had time.

Now a days a machine, regardless of age, had better be ready to go with a minimum of fuss and time invested. I may not be able to indulge a couple hundred hours into repairing or rebuilding an older machine again or before I retire.

want to buy worn out band saw tires

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnsoninWI

How do you know when the rubber tires on a vertical band saw are worn out?

The blade on my old Grob NS18 saw will stop occasionally if I put too much pressure on the cut. The last time it happened, I discovered that the blade was slipping on the lower drive wheel. There seemed to be quite a bit of tension on the blade, but I cranked in even more and the problem went away. However, I recall a machine salesman who stopped in one day; he took one look at my saw and said the tires should be replaced. The tires aren't ripped, torn, or missing but they do have wear tracks in them and they are probably 40 or 50 years old.

Thanks,

John

How do I go about buying worn out Urethane band saw tires?

I have the need for 10" for some testing, need them to be intact, no cracks, sound full circle tire.
Thank You

I just finished rebuilding my DoAll 1612. I also bought those Sulfur Grove urethane tires as a backup plan. When I had the wheels of, I wire wheeled the surface of the original tires buffing off all the embedded debris and exposing unoxidized rubber. So far it works just fine. If it shouldn't, I still have the tires on the shelf.

The top wheel on my DoAll was bad so I replaced it with one of those new-fangled urethane tires. It kept riding off. So I re-fixed it using adhesive. Still kept riding off. It's hard to adhere anything to urethane. So I ordered a new black rubber tire from McMaster-Carr and it has worked perfectly now for several years.

Back in the 1970's when I had a music store and was repairing and building guitars, I bought a brand new wood-cutting Delta Rockwell 14" Bandsaw. It came with rubber tires. The machine was used very heavily up until the 1990's and the black rubber tires on it finally cracked and wore out.
I went to a wood workers' supply store in my area and found some replacement tires that were made from an orange-colored flexible urethane. They are much more durable that the originals.

There are several companies that make these in various colors. Here's a company that make blue ones. The urethane ones will last much longer than the rubber originals.

Back in the 1970's when I had a music store and was repairing and building guitars, I bought a brand new wood-cutting Delta Rockwell 14" Bandsaw. It came with rubber tires. The machine was used very heavily up until the 1990's and the black rubber tires on it finally cracked and wore out.
I went to a wood workers' supply store in my area and found some replacement tires that were made from an orange-colored flexible urethane. They are much more durable that the originals.

There are several companies that make these in various colors. Here's a company that makes blue ones. The urethane ones will last much longer than the rubber originals.

ABOUT Practical Machinist

With more than 10.6 million unique visitors over the last year, Practical Machinist is the most visited site for metalworking professionals. Practical Machinist is the easiest way to learn new techniques, get answers quickly and discuss common challenges with your peers. Register for the world’s largest manufacturing technology forum for free today to stay in the know.

This website or its third-party tools process personal data (e.g. browsing data or IP addresses) and use cookies or other identifiers, which are necessary for its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. To learn more, please refer to the cookie policy.

In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by sending us an email via our Contact Us page.

To find out more about the categories of personal information collected and the purposes for which such information will be used, please refer to our privacy policy.

You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by closing or dismissing this notice, by scrolling this page, by clicking a link or button or by continuing to browse otherwise.

The latest industry news—straight to your inbox

Sign up for our eNewsletter now to stay in-the-know. We'll bring you the most relevant peer-to-peer conversations happening in the trade and tips and tricks to help you get the job done.

Name:

Email:

Invalid email

I agree to receive emails from Practical Machinist containing industry news and updates from Practical Machinist and its sponsors. You may unsubscribe at any time.